Service line shut-off



July 2, 1935. NHLLER 2,006,742

SERVICE LINE SHUT-OFF Filed Aug. 5, 1952 //v vz/v 7-02 EUGENE M13435 Patented July 2,

My invention relate particularly to a means to a house or building PATENT OFFICE SERVICE LINE SHUT-OFF Eugene Miller, Albany, N. Y.

Application August 5,

3 Claims.

s to valve shut-offs and whereby the water supply an be shut oif at the point where it taps the main without the necessity of excavating the street.

Water mains in cities are always placed in the street. Sometimes the main is located beneath the street pavement proper and sometimes the main is placed under the sidewalk near the curb line.

This main pipe line is tapered at various points and from these taps, service lines or pipes extend laterally to the buildings along the street. The taps, are usually placed in the top of the main a party of the tap'itself. brass. tends. into the building and a shut-off cock forms This is generally made of From the shut-off cock 9. lead pipe exthrough a second shut-off cock located under the sidewalk. The pipe line leading from the tap in the main to the building is, of course, covered with dirt or other filling material, and on top of this is laid the wearing surface of the pavement. This lateral pipe line is, therefore, subjected to vibrations due to heavy trafiic and serious leaks often occur at points in this line. When a service line breaks, water from the main escapes into the soil underneath the pavement and, in addition to the loss of a considerable volume of water, it is not at all infrequent to have the pavement so seriously undermined as to collapse 0 when a leak occurs in r cave in. In any event, aservice line, it becomes necessary to take up the pavement and excavate down to the main in order to reach the shut-off cock. Until this is done water continuously escapes from the main.

The principal object of my invention is to'supobjects in view,

my invention includes the novel elements and the combinations and arrangements thereof described below accompanying drawing Fig. 1 is a fragment 9. street showing a water main applied thereto;

and illustrated in the whichtransverse section of and my shut-off Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the application of my device to a water main located inside the curb Fig. 3 is a plan view 0 line; f an element of my device;

1932, Serial No. 627,579

Fig. 4 is a vertical section of Fig. 3 in the plane and Fig. 5 is an enlarged the plane 5-5. p

Referring to the drawing, I represents a street 5 pavement, 2 a curbing, and 3 is a sidewalk.

In Fig. 1,1 have shown a watermain 4 running parallel to'the curbing 2 but at some distance therefrom and under the street pavement proper. V 5 the usual service tap made in the top 10 of the main and provided with the usual shutoff 6. The service shut-off is preferablyof the type which is fully closed or opened by a 90 rotary movement of the cock.

Referring to Fig.1, ashaft 1 having a recess 8 at one end thereof and fitting over a complementary projection on the service shutwfi cock extends-at right angles from the main to a point somewhere below the sidewalk 3 andon the side-j walk side of a vertical plane extending downward ly through the inside of the curbing. The inner end of the shaft 1 is provided with a projection 9 extending into and coacting with a complementary recess iii (see Figs. 3 and 4) in the short shaft ii, which is preferably made an integral part of bevel gear E2 A second bevel gear 113, having a short, vertically-extending shaft I4, meshes with the bevel gear l2. Both of these gears preferably have the same number of teeth so that when gear 13 is rotated A; of a revolution, gear i2 will also rotate of a revolution and thereby either completely open or shut off the service cock 5 through the shaft 1 connected thereto.

The bevel gear assembly: is represented generally by thenumeral i5 and is shown in detail in Figs. 3 and l. This unit comprises a cast iron housing IS, the exterior ofwhich is preferably cylindrical, as shown at ii in Fig. 3, and the interior, transverse, cross-section of which. is as shown bythe dotted lines id in the same figure. 0 In other words, the interioris not entirely cy1indrical in cross-section but is provided with' a flat vertical surface it against whicha shoulder 20 on bevel gear'ii rests. The bearing for'the shaft on bevel gear I2 is provided in the side of the 5 housing 16 and the top of the housing is provided with a cylindrical opening 2|, forming a bearing for the short shaft M which is preferably made integral with gear I3. The top of shaft I4 is provided with a projection 28 designed 5 to interfit with a complementary recess in a vertical shaft so that the gear 13 can be turned from above. Extending through the top of the cast iron housing at the side of the opening 2| is a set screw 22 provided with a lock nut 23.

section view of Fig. 1 in Q ening and raising the set screw 22 the gear |3 may be raised entirely out of mesh with and above gear I2 and gear I 2 may then be pushed into the housing and taken out, whereupon gear l3 may be dropped out of the bottom of the housing. To prevent the entrance of dirt to the housing and also to provide a suitable foundation therefor the opening in the bottom is closed by means of a plate 26 secured to'the housing by means of screws 21.

The .bevel gear assembly is covered and protected by a vertically extending pipe 29, the bottom of which rests upon the plate 26. Inasmuch as mains are laid at different elevations below the surfaceof the roadway or the surface of the sidewalk, a second protecting pipe 30 is telescopically' fitted within the pipe 29 to provide vertical adjustment, and inside of this last mentioned pipe and extending vertically is a'shaft 3| having a slot 32 at the bottom which is complementary to and fits over the projection 28 on the extremity of the shaft M. In orderto hold the vertical shaft 3| approximately in the center of'the'pipe 30, it is bent, as shown at 33 and 34 in Fig. 2 and its upper end 35 terminates some distance below the sidewalk level 3. The pipe 30 is closed with the usual cap 36 which is at or about the sidewalk level and is readily removable to shut off or turn on the water.'

In order to close or open the service cock on the main, a suitable key is provided which is dropped down through pipe 30 and over the end If the service cock tion the service cock may be closed. "Where the main is under the sidewalk, the shaft 1 is, of course, unnecessary, and the bevel gear assembly may be placed directly upon top of the mai'nythe slot ID in the shaft ofbevel gear l2 in such case being'fitted over the projection 6 on the service cock. The projection at the end of shaft I4 is provided with an opening 31 through which a pin may be'inserted to secure the vertical shaft 3| thereto. Likewise, the shaft onbevel gear I2 is provided with an opening 38 for the insertion of a pin extending through the projection 9 on shaft or, when the device is applied'as shown in Fig. 2 through an opening in the shut-off lug on the service cock. It is also to be understood that where the device is applied as shown in Fig. 1 the shaft 1 is secured to the shut off lug on the servicecock by means of a. similar pin.

Referring to Fig.5, which is an enlarged section in the plane 5-5 of Fig. 1, it is to be noted that the shaft 1 is enclosed within a pipe or housing 39. Inasmuch as the entire device is buried in the dirt, this housing 39 serves to protect the shaft 1 and to make it more easily turnable than would otherwise be the case if exposed.

I prefer to make the gears I2 and 3 with their shafts, and the shaft I, of brass, bronze ,or other material which will not rust or corrode when exposed to moisture.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that I have provided a very simple and cheap means whereby a service line may be shut off at the main without the necessity of excavating the roadway. Where a street is paved and such an excavation is necessary, it practically ruins the pavement because of settlement due to the compressibility of the soil underneath.

What I claim is:

1. In a device of the character described, an inverted cup-like housing, a first bevel gear located within said housing'having a short shaft integral therewith and rotatively mounted in the side thereof, a second bevel gear normally in mesh with said first gear and having a short shaft being axially slidable in said housing to a position outof mesh with said first gear whereby said first gear may be removed, and means supported by said housing and in'e'ngagement with said second gear for normally maintaining the same in mesh with the firstsaid gear.

2.--In a device of the character described, an integral enclosing housing open at the bottom, the top wall and a side wall of which are provided with respective openings, first and second gear members.- each comprising a gear and a short integral shaft extending into the respective openings and having their bearings in the walls of said housing surrounding the same, the first gear being spaced from the adjacent wall a distance sufficient to permit inward axialmovement of the'second gear, and ascrew mounted in the top wall of said housing and'normally engaging the rear side of said second gear for normally retaining said gears in mesh and permittingremoval thereof through the interior and bottom of said housing.

3. In a deviceof the character described, an integral enclosing housinglp'rovided withan open bottom normally closed by a detachable plate forming a'support therefor, the top wall and a side Qwall'of which housing are provided with re-' spective openings, firstand second gear members each comprising agear and a short integral shaft extending into the respective "openings and having their bearings in the walls of the housing surrounding .the same, the first of said gears being spaced from the adjacent wall adistance bottom of said housing.

EUGENE MILLER. I 

